This invention relates to the treatment of skin especially damaged skin. The invention is concerned with skin that is damaged as a result of scarring consequent upon surgery and as a result of ageing or damage by excessive exposure to ultra violet light. The invention is also concerned with the treatment of skin for cosmeceutical purposes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,494 (Widgerow and Chait) (the contents whereof are incorporated by this reference) there is described a method of treatment of damaged human skin. The treatment consists of applying to the skin medicament for topical application such as an ointment comprising as the active ingredients bulbine frutescens and Centella asiatica. Where this medication is used for the treatment of scarring it is used in conjunction with a tape which is applied to the skin about the scar to prevent or minimise any tension that is applied to the scar.
Bulbine frutescens is a common garden plant that grows in South Africa. I have now found that bulbine frutescens has important hydrating properties. In addition the extracts (peptides) of bulbine frutescens have decorin-like effects on wound healing. It appears that these polypeptides mimic the effect of decorin and rearrange collagen in a uniform manner during the process of fibrillogenesis and collagen regeneration. This provides an important adjuvant to the Centella asiatica extract in modulating, uniformly arranging, and maturing collagen during the process of healing.
I have found too that extra constituents provide for a multimodality approach to scar management covering all phases of the wound healing cascade. One of the most important physiologic responses to wounding is that of inflammation. It can also be one of the most destructive: over exuberant inflammation is thought to be cause of most chronic arthritic conditions, heart disease, and chronic wound pathogenesis. Along the physiologic path to scar formation, excess inflammation will result in an exaggerated scar. Suture materials are frequently and unavoidably associated with this phenomenon. On the other hand, controlled inflammation speeds up the process of scar maturation with minimal fibrosis.
Phenols (oleuropein) extracted from olive oil have known anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. I have found that when used at low doses in combination with bulbine frutescens and Centella Asiatica helpful inflammation is unaffected, whereas exuberant inflammation, typical of foreign body reactions, can be down regulated or modulated.